ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would not be at Bard—and you would not be reading my Senior Project—without the love and
support of my immediate family, so I would like to express my infinite gratitude to Katherine
Pound, Brian Corner, and especially Ben Corner, who is, and always will be, the best older brother
anyone could ever ask for. I have equally kind things to say about Elizabeth Pound, Omar Pound,
Jane Blackwell, Matthew Blackwell, Oriana Pound, and Stephen Bradfield, all of whom are some of
the kindest, most interesting, and compassionate individuals that I am lucky to call family. Andrew
Blackwell, my cousin, deserves a special mention, as he was responsible for bringing me to Bard
when I was searching for colleges. But more than the simple act of physically bringing me to Bard,
Andrew gave me two pieces of advice about higher education that have stuck with me to this day:
“College is great, you get to hang out and read books for four years,” and “You never want to be the
smartest person in the room.” The incredible people who work in Bard’s Dean of Student Affairs
Office (now the Center for Student Life and Advising) are some of the hardest working and most
compassionate people in this world, so I cannot thank Bethany Nohlgren, Mary Ann Krisa, Lora
Seery, Gretchen Perry, Manishka Kalupahana, Dorothy Albertini, Jennifer Triplett, Carol Werner,
and David Shein (even though he would probably roll his eyes if he read this) enough for their
dedication to this community. The Office of Residence Life is home to equally amazing people, and
I would like to especially thank Kimberly Jackowitz and Ashley Boltrushek. David Pack, although he
no longer works here, was one of the most positive influences on me during my time at Bard, and I
am sure he has not stopped being an incredible role model in his new position at Dartmouth.
I am eternally thankful for those Bard professors who have been an integral and
irreplaceable part of my education at this institution: Elizabeth Frank, Elizabeth Holt, Daniel
Mendelsohn, Matthew Mutter, Michelle Murray, and especially Nathan Shockey, whose skills as an
editor and an advisor are unparalleled.
There is not enough room to list all of the people whom I am lucky enough to call friends,
but I am and have been grateful for the companionship and camaraderie of Patrick King, Samuel
Prince, Lauren Barnes, Leah Silverberg, Cypress Marrs, Alyssa Freeman, John Ohrenberger, Allie
Shyer, Melissa van Fleteren, Anna Daniszewski, Jasper Katz, and many others. And, of course, I
would like to thank my partner, Nicole Maron, whose kind spirit, strength, and almost limitless
patience have been a vital part of my life for the past four years of my life. My Minnesotan
comrades—Martin Rojas, Luke Marcott, Cam Marcott, Casey Rufener, Oliver Gladstone-St. John,
and the various degenerates who called Cloud City home at various points in their life—will always
have a place in my heart for helping me survive high school and reminding me that learning is cool.
And as for you, if you’re reading this, you certainly deserve my thanks.
With love and respect,
Joshua Corner
April 29, 2014
Annandale-on-Hudson, New York